Bread mixer and kneader.



No. 841,296. PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907. 0. D. WOODRUFP.

BREAD MIXER AND KNEADER.

APPLICATION FILED D110. s. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,, WASHINGTON, n. c.

No. 841,296. PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907. 0. D. WOODRUFF.

BREAD MIXER AND KNEADBR.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.6. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ru: NORRIS PETERS co., wasnmorvn, a. c,

OLIVER D. WVOODRUFF, OF SOUTHINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

BREAD MIXER AND KNEADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1 5, 1907.

Application filed December 6, 1906. Serial No. 346,603.

To all who'in it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER D. l/Voon- RUFF, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Southington, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bread Mixersand Kneaders; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a view in side elevation of a bread mixer and kneaderconstructed in accordance with my invention shown applied to a table asin use Fig. 2, a plan view thereof; Fig. 3, a detached view, in sideelevation, of the carrier-arm, the kneading-rod, and the handle; Fig. 4,a detached plan view of the kneading-rod; Fig. 5, a detached view of thekneading-rod shown in elevation and turned a quarter-turn from right toleft from the position in which it is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 Fig.6, a detached perspective view of the rod tilted back and shown asturned a half-turn from right to left from the position in which it isshown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 Fig. 7, a perspective view of the rodturned in the same manner but tilted forward, so as to be looked downupon from above; Fig. 8, a broken view, on an enlarged scale, of theupper end of the rod; Fig. 9, an enlarged view, in broken verticalsection, on the line a b of Fig. 2, showing the clamping-yoke inposition to rigidly secure the carrier-arm to the bracket, at which timea portion of the edge of the'fiaring pan is also gripped betweenthecarrier-arm and the bracket; Fig. 10, a broken view, in end elevation,on the same scale, showing the carrier-arm, the bracket, and theclamping-yoke,but not the pan Fig. 11, a detached broken plan view ofthe outer end of the carrier-arm, showing its inwardly-inclinedlocking-face; Fig. 12 a corresponding view thereof in side elevation;Fig. 13, a corresponding reverse plan view thereof; Fig. 14, a view ofthe outer end thereof; Fig. 15,'a detached plan view of the bracket,showing the clamping-yoke in its depressed or open position; Fig. 16, abroken view of the outer end of the bracket in side elevation, alsoshowing the yoke in its open position; Fig. 17, a detached perspectiveview of the clamping-piece, which is swiveled upon the thumb-screw ofthe clamping-yoke; Fig. 18, another form the clamping-piece may assume.

My invention relates to an improvement in bread mixers and kneaders, theobject being to produce a simple and efiective mechanism for use inconjunction with an ordinary bread-pan and constructed with particularreference to being equally efiective in mixing and kneading quantitiesof dough from the smallest mess up to the full capacity of the pan.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a bread mixer andkneader having .the construction and combinations of parts to behereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention I employ a helical rotor or kneading-rodmade from a single piece of heavy rod and comprising, as shown, astraight journal 2, forming the upper terminal of the rod, an upperreach 3, extending outward and downward in a broad sweep from the lowerend of the said journal and including a bend 3 a bend 4, even more openor on a larger circle than the bend 3 aforesaid, a relatively straightlower reach 5, extending radially inward from the bend 4 and reachingthe limit of its downward extension at a point 6 below or approximatelybelow and axially in line with the said journal 2, and a dough-centeringfinger 7, bent slightly upward and outward from the point 6 and formingthe lower terminal of the rod. This kneading-rod or helical rotor islocated in the center of, and therefore coaxially, with an ordinaryflaring bread-pan 8, which, as

shown, has a foot 9 and a removable cover 10. It will be seen byreference to Figs. 1 and 2 that the nearest approach any portion of therod makes to the pan is, as already stated, at the point 6, where thelower end of the reach 5 merges into the inner end of thedough-centering finger 7. I mention this to distinguish my rotor fromrotors shaped to be parallel with the bottom or sides of a pan, or both,so as to exercise a scraping function.

My improved rotor has no scraping function, myobject being to shape itso that from the smallest mess of dough that will ever be mixed up tothe maximum capacity of the pan the dough will always be caught byeither the upper or lower reach of the rod, or by both, and out againand. again as the rod is turned from left to right. The action of theICC rod is to constantly pile the dough up in the pan. The dough beingunstable will lop over and be cut through by the rod.

In order to permit the dough to pile high and still be free to lop over,the rod is bent to secure themaXimuIn open space between the lower endof its journal 2 and the point 6, this space being indicated by thebroken line 2. The bending of the finger 7 outward from the line of thelower reach contributes to the enlargement of this space, which alsoprevents the dough from climbing the rod. By making the lower bend 4 ofthe rod more open in its curvature than the bend 3 the tendency of thevrod to rotate the dough planetwise around the vertical axis of the rodis reduced. The object aimed at is, I may repeat, to pile up the dough,free it so as to let it lop over and then cut through it, pile it upagain, let it lop over again, cut through it again, and so on. On thecontrary, if the dough is rotated with the rod turn for turn it will notbe kneaded. No work will be done. It will simply be idly revolved.Whether the dough lops over and is cut through at every turn of the rodor at every two or three or more turns, thereof will depend upon theamount of dough being kneaded, its consistency, the speed at which therod is turned, and so on. These conditions are of course variable. Afterthe dough lops over the long upper reach 3 of the rotor rides over itlike a sled-runner and holds it down, and the more it is held down whenlopped over the more certain it will be cut through by the rod. Thefinger 7 assists in centering the dough at the bottom of the pan andprevents the dough from sliding off the rod when the dough is removedfrom the pan, from which it is hooked out, asitwere, by the rod when thesame is removed therefrom. The inclination of the lower reach 5 formsaspace 12 between it and the bottom of the pan. This space provides forenough adherence of the dough to the bottom of the pan to form a pointof purchase for the rod to act against in cutting through it, while theinclination of the said lower reach as described prevents the dough,should the quantity be small, fromriding over the same instead of beingcut through thereby.

My improved rod may be mounted in a variety of ways. As herein shown,its journal 2 is passed upward through a vertical hub or sleeve 14,formed upon the inner end of a carrier-arm 15, curved in substantialaccord with the curvature of the cover 10, which is cut away, as at 10'and 10 to fit over the said arm. The rod is provided at the lower end ofits journal 2 with a washer 16, which engages with the lower end of thehub 14, while the upper end of the journal is flattened at 17 to adaptit to pass through a hole of corresponding flattened cross-section inthe handle 19, which is furnished with a handle-grip 20.

By flattening the said. journal and hole in this way the rod and handleare coupled for rotation together. That portion of the journalprojecting upward through the said hole is formed with a circumferentiallocking-groove 21, receiving the edge of a hook-like lockmg-lever 22,secured to the upper face of the inner end of the handle by a pivot 23.The rod is very readily assembled with the carrier-arm 15 and handle 19by simply inserting the journal 2 into the hub 14 and bringing thewasher 16 to a bearing upon the lower face of the hub. The handle 19 isnow applied to the projecting flattened end of the journal 2, afterwhich the locking-lever 22 is swung into its locked position, in whichits hook-like end enters the groove 21.

At its outer end the carrier-arm is rigidly clamped upon the upper endof a post-like bracket 23, furnished at its lower end with the usualmeans for securing such a bracket to the edge of a table, these meansconsisting of parallel arms 23 and 24, of which the latter is furnishedwith a thumb-screw 25, carrying a clamping-washer 26, which is forced bythe screw 25 against the lower face of the tabletop 27. The bracket 23is proportioned in height to the height of the pan 8,

'so that the rim28 of the pan will hook over,

as it were, and rest upon two horizontal bear- 9 ingfaces 29 29 at theupper end of the bracket, the inner face of which is curved, as at 30,Fig. 15, to conform to the curvature of the rim of the pan. Now to clampthe edge of the pan 8 between the carrier-arm .15 and the bracket 23, aswell as to clamp the carrierarm upon the bracket, I form the carrier-armat its outer end with two slightly-inclined clamping-faces 31, whichengage with the inner face of the pan at a point just within the rim 28thereof and force the opposite outer face of the pan against theslightly-inclined bearin -face 32 upon the inner face of the upper endof the bracket, whereby a portion of the pan is gripped and pinchedbetween the carrier-arm and the bracket, as clearly shown in Fig. 9.These parts are drawn together by the provision of the extreme outer endof the carrier-arm with a hook 33, wide enough in its lateral extensionto hook over the ends 34 34, Fig. 15, of a pair of complementary lugs35, formed integral with the outer face of the upper end of the bracket.The outer end of the carrier-arm is drawn firmly down upon thehorizontal up per edges of the. said lugs 35, Fig. 9, by means of arectangular clamping-piece 36, swiveled upon the lower end of athumb-screw 37, mounted in the outer or bowed portion of a clamping-yoke38, turning upon a heavy pivot 39, passing through holes 40 in the lugs35. To adapt the carrier-arm 15 to c'oact with this yoke, and moreparticularlywithits clamping-piece 36, the upper face of the arm isformed at its outer end with a groove 41,

Fig. 1 1, a trifle wider than the clamping-piece 36, which is reventedfrom turning by engagement wit the side walls 42 of the groove. Thebottom of this groove forms an inwardlyinclined locking-face 43, whichat its outer end merges into a rounded clearance-face 44. hen theclamping-piece 36 is brought to a bearing upon the inclined locking-face43, the yoke 38 will have assumed a position in which it is inclinedinward from the vertical, as shown in Fig. 9.- In'this position itclamps the various parts mentioned securely together.

In order that the block 36 may always be properly presented to thegroove 41 in the carrierarm, the yoke is formed with a recess 45 for thereception of the piece, which is thus prevented from turning with thethumb screw 37. The clamping-piece 36 therefore is always in position tobe at once entered into the groove 41 for being swung over into positionto be jammed down upon the inclined locking-face 43. If preferred, theclamping-piece may be made in the form of the thick washer 46. (Shown inFig. 18.)

As already stated, my improved rod may be coaxially suspended over abread-pan or corresponding receptacle by other means than those shown,and vice versa, the said means might be used to function a differentrod. I do not, therefore, limit myself to their combination as shown.

I claim 1. In a bread mixer and kneader, the combination with a flaringpan, of a knead ngrod arranged coaxially therein, and means forsupporting the said rod which rod comprises a ournal forming its upperterminal, an upper reach extending outwardly and downwardly from thelower end of the said journal and including a bend or curve, a lowerreach extending inwardly and down wardly and terminating at its lowerend at a point located below or approximately below and in axial linewith the said journal and closer to the pan than any other point on therod, and a bend connecting the lower end of the upper reach with theinclined upper end of the lower reach.

2. In a bread mixer and kneader, the .combination with a flaring pan, ofa kneadingrod arranged coaxially therein, and means for supporting thesaid. rod which rod comprises a journal forming its upper terminal, anupper reach extending outwardly and downwardly from the lower end of thesaid journal and including a bend or curve, a lower reach extendinginwardly and down-- wardly, and a bend connecting the upper reach withthe lower reach and wider in curvature than the bend thereof.

3. In a bread mixer and kneader, the combination with a flaring pan, ofa kneadingrod arranged coaxially therein, and means for supporting thesaid rod which comprises a journal, an upper reach extending outwardlyand downwardly from the lower end of the said journal and including abend or curve, a lower reach extending inwardly and downwardly andterminating at its lower end at a point located below or approximatelybelow and in axial line with the said journal, a bend connecting theupper reach with the lower reach, and a dough-centering finger extendingupwardly from the lower end of the lower reach and forming the lowerterminal of the rod.

4. In a bread mixer and kneader, the combination with a flaring pan, ofa kneadingrod arranged coaxially therein, and means for supporting thesaid rod which rod comprises a journal, an upper reach extendingoutwardly and downwardly from the lower end of the said journal andincluding a bend or curve, a lower reach extending inwardly anddownwardly and terminating at its lower end at a point located below orapproximately below and in axial line with the said journal, a bendconnecting the lower end of theupper reach with the inclined upper endof the lower reach and more 0 en in curva; ture than the bend or curve tereof, and a dough-centering finger forming the lower terminal of therod and extending beyond the lower end of the lower reach.

5. In a bread mixer and kneader, the combination with the receptaclethereof, of a mixing and kneading instrumentality, a carrier-armsupporting the instrumentality coaxially in the receptacle and havingits outer end formed with an inwardly-inclined locking-face, a bracket,a yoke pivotally mounted thereon, a thumbscrew mounted in the said yoke,and a clamping-piece carried by the thumb-screw and coactlng with thelockingface, when the yoke is swung inward from the vertical, forrigidly securing the arm to the bracket.

6. In a bread mixer and kneader, the combination with the receptaclethereof, of a mixing and kneading instrumentality, a carrier-armsupporting the instrumentality coaxially in the receptacle and havingits outer end formed upon its upper face with a groove containing aninwardlyinclined lockingface, a bracket adapted at its upper end to havethe outer end of the said arm applied to it, a yoke pivoted to thebracket, a thumbscrew mounted in the yoke, and a clampingpiece carriedby the thumb-screw and engaging with the locking-face, when the yoke isswung inwardly from the vertical, for rigidly securing the arm to thebracket.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

OLIVER D. WOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

FREDERIG C. EARLE, GEORGE D. SEYMOUR.

